Rubber submersible boat



Dec. 2l, 1943. H. ELIUK 2,337,318

RUBBERI SUBMERSIBLE BOAT Filed April 3, 1945 BY I Patented Dec. 21, 1943 iJNl'iED S'ATES PATENT @ENCE RUBBER SUBMERSIBLE BOAT Helen Elink, Peabody, Mass.

Application April 3, 1943, Serial No. 481,672

3 Claims.

This invention relates to submarine or submersible boats, and aims to provide new and useful improvements whereby a wholly or partly submersible boat may be built of very small proportions and adapted to be manned by one or two The boat of this invention is adapted to be used for any useful purpose, particularly those of a military nature, such as, for instance, discharging torpedoes, effecting secret landings, etc.

The above and other objects will become apparent in the description below, reference being had to the accompanying drawing. In order to avoid unnecessary complication of the drawing, standard parts and equipment of boats of this type, such as the torpedo carrying and discharge mechanisms and the means for effecting submersion, have been omitted.

Referring briefly to the drawing, Fig. l is a side elevational view of the boat.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same, partly in section.

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line -t- 0f Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional View taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 3.

Referring in detail to the drawing, the numeral It indicates the hull of the submersible boat, Il

its engine, I2 the pilots seat, and I3 the steering post. A shaft I4 extends rearward to the propeller i5. A front window IS gives straightahead vision to the operator, and side windows il give lateral visions. An additional pair of windows is shown at i8.

The windows or portholes I8 are located at about the middle of the hull, and a manhole Eil is provided through the deck 2E) between the windows l. Latching means for the manhole cover iii are shown at 22, the cover being hinged at 23.

Both forward and aft, cylindrical openings 2d are provided through the deck 263, and these are filled with rubber sleeves 25. Vertically slidably mounted in the sleeves 25 are Ventilating tubes 25 and 2l, the former having its upper end 2B bent forward at right angles, and the latter' havlng the same end 29 bent rearward at right angles. Keys t@ are provided along the outside of the tubes 26 and 2l', with complementary slots extending through the insides of the rubber sleeves 2?. Thus, frictonal leali-proof slidable engagement is provided between the tube and its rubber sleeve 25, so that the tube may be raised ir lowered at will and will remain frictionally in tny intermediate position, and will all the time be watertight with respect to the opening through the deck.

A spider 3| is secured to the lower end of each tube, within the boat, comprising four downwardly extending arms 32 joined to the ends of a horizontal rod or handle 33. By means of these handles, the tubes may be pushed up or pulled down at will.

In order to provide closures for the open upper ends or mouths of the tubes 26 and 2l when the tubes are pulled down to their lowermost positions, as shown for the tube 21 in broken lines in Fig. 3, a projection or block 34 is provided on the upper surface of the hull adjacent the mouth end of each tube. That face or end of the block 34 which faces in the direction opposite to the extremity 28 or 29 of the tubes, is ilat and is lined with rubber 35. It is to be noted that the mouths of the tubes are cut olf at a slight angle to the vertical. In like manner the faces of the rubber sections or pads 35 are complementarily tilted, so that when the tubes are pulled down to their lowermost positions the tilted peripheral edge of the mouth 36 registers securely against the rubber face 35 so as to provide a watertight t and a watertight closure for the mouth 36 of the tube.

The hull is so designed as to float normally to the depth indicated bythe water line in Fig. 1. When standing or idling on the surface, `the hatch cover 2l would normally be open. When running on the surface, the hatch would be closed, and ventilation is provided by the tubes 25, into the mouth 3S of which air enters, passes through the interior of the boat, and leaves through the mouth Se of the rear tube 2l. Before submerging, the tubes are pulled all the way down by their handles 33 so that their mouths are closed. No ventilation is provided while the boat is submerged, but since it is intended and adapted to be submerged only for brief intervals, never to exceed about a half hour, and since only one or two men are on board to absorb oxygen, no such means is necessary. By eliminating such equipment as well as other elaborate and expensive equipment normally required for a large submarine boat, the boat of this invention may be built very economically so that they may be turned out quickly in large quantity. The boat could well be used to lay mines close to shore, or to enable a person to land at a strategic point to plant a charge ci dynamite, and for many other purposes which need not be mentioned.

Obviously, modifications in form and structure may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention.

I claim:

1. In a submersible boat having a normally sealed hull, Ventilating means comprising vertical openings fore and aft through the deck of the hull, said openings being lined with rubber sleeves having key slots on their inner surfaces, tubes slidably mounted in said sleeves and having keys registering in saidV slots, the upper ends of said tubes being bent at right angles in a forward and a rearward direction respectively, handle means on the lower ends of said tubes for raising or lowering the tubes from within the boat, said sleeves providing watertight frictional engagement with said tubes to permit positioning of said tubes at any point between the limits of vertical movement thereof, and means for sealing the mouths of said tubes when said tubes are in their lowermost positions.

2. The improvement set forth in claim 1, and further characterized by said last-named means comprising rubber pads fixed on said deck adjacent said tubes and facing toward the mouths of said tubes, said mouths when said tubes are in their lowermost positions lying fiush against said rubber pads.

3. The improvement set forth in claim 1, and further characterized by said last-named means comprising rubber pads xed on said deck adjacent said tubes and facing toward the mouths of said tubes, the planes of the peripheries of said mouths being tilted slightly toward each other in a downward direction, the faces of said pads being likewise tilted, said mouths when said tubes are in `their lowermost positions lying flush against said faces of said pads.

v HELEN ELIUK 

